Drum drier



Feb. 11, 1969 E, WOLLMANN ET AL 3,426,443

DRUM DRIER Sheet 4 of 2 Filed Oct. 23, 1967 INVENTOIQ-S Er'nestm /mann, and M'l/velm MOW esser; M,

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Feb. 11, 1969 E WOLLMANN ET AL 3,426,443

' DRUM DRIER Sheet ,9 brz Filed Oct. 23, 1967 INVENTORS; s5 mama rm Md vZZZz/n Morgenbesser;

mi Adar-n6 United States Patent 3,426,443 DRUM DRIER Ernest Wollmann, Wimpassing, and Wilhelm Morgenbesser, Ternitz, Austria, assignors to Semperit Osterreichisch-Amerikanische Gummiwerke Aktiengesellschaft, Vienna, Austria, a stock corporation of Austria Filed Oct. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 677,232 US. Cl. 34-109 Claims Int. Cl. F26]: 11/04, 15/02 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention involves a hollow drum drier, substantially a perforated shell split lengthwise along a diameter to constitute two halves, each with axially spaced transverse semi-circular partition walls, disposed for mutual transverse mating alignment to sub-divide the drum into several spaced compartments.

The two drum halves are held together by guide rods through lugs on the drum halves, and the drum halves are thus relatively axially shiftabl'e, to permit transfer of articles from one half of a compartment to a next adjacent half-compartment, so that by such shifting of the drum halves and transfer of articles axially from compart-ment to compartment, the articles may be introduced at one end, then dried during rotation of the drum and advanced by such transfer to the exit end of the drum for removal.

This invention relates to a drum drier consisting of a hollow perforated drum or shell split lengthwise in two halves along a horizontal plane through the axis and a horizontal diameter to permit axial shifting of the two halves of the drum. The drum is also provided with internal spaced partition walls connected to each of the two halves of the drum shell and disposed perpendicularly to the drum axis and in transverse alignment to define axially consecutive annular chambers.

Drum driers with separate partitioned chambers have been employed for drying different articles or batches in the different chambers between the partitioning walls, and usually for drying materials that have been treated at different temperatures, and for such drying purposes an ordinary air circulation drying system has been employed as well as various other measures, such as, for example, a dusting stream for the articles.

For instance, where vulcanized articles are manufactured by hand dipping of dipping forms, they may then be washed in a suitable bath after being removed. Conventionally, the drying of such dipped articles has been carried out in perforated drums.

In certain production plants various articles of different form, temperature and size may need to be treated during successive short intervals. Only occasionally will substantial amounts of the same article he submitted for treatment such as, for example, rubber gloves from an immersing plant, in which case such gloves may ordinarily be considered as being identical in their drying needs. However, it is usually necessary to treat relatively large amounts of articles that are different in drying requirements and that must nevertheless be dried and treated at the same time. To separate the articles in order to treat only one kind of article during each drying operation, during any particular drying period, would be a time-consuming operation.

A further dis-advantage of this conventional separating method develops, because, in spite of the sorting procedure, different forms and sizes of the articles nevertheless become mixed.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a drying cylinder of the type mentioned above, that avoids the disadvantages encountered in the prior art, and that makes it possible to dry articles of different kinds, types, sizes and temperatures at the same time, while keeping them properly separated during the drying operation and during recovery after drying. Further, the invention makes it possible to make the operation to a large extent practically automaticin the sense that a minimum of personal service is required in the operation of the equipment.

Turning to the invention-The drum is divided or split into two parts along a longitudinal plane containing a horizontal diameter and extending along the axis of the drum. The two halves of the drum, thus divided, are arranged to be connected, at least for a distance along the length of the drum between its end walls, in a way to permit relative longitudinal movement between the two split halves. In a modification of the invention here shown, one half of the drum, preferably from its closed position, is movable in the direction towards the discharge side of the drum. Thus, the movement of predetermined amounts of the respective articles can be moved from one chamber half to the other through the separating plane between the two halves of the drum as they are turned, and thereby, the other half of the next section or chamber will receive the material with reclosing, turning of the drum and reshifting, until the last chamber receives the articles and brings them out into the open for removal, whereupon the two halves of the drum can then be restored to their mating closing position for further drying rotation.

In the drawings are shown an example of a device for carrying out the process with additional operational details indicated. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectonal view of the apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan and circuit arrangement for the operation and control of the apparatus.

The drying drum is shown as a hollow cylinder with two halves 1a and 1b separated lengthwise in a plane along a diameter, here horizontal, and along the axis. Those two halves 1a and 1b are arranged to be connected together by two connecting guide rods 2, which hold the two halves against axial separation but permit relative axial shifting of the two halves 1a and 11;. Those two rods 2 are shown located just within the circular contour of the shell and along the plane of separation between the upper and the lower half of the shell, to permit free rotation of the two shell halves with the connecting rods in place. In order, thus, to hold the two parts of the shell relatively closed, and yet to permit relative longitudinal sliding movement between the two halves of the shell, 1a and 1b, the upper part 111 of the shell is provided wtih two lugs 10, and the lower half of the shell 1b is provided with two lugs 1d, spaced in each case along the length of the shell. Two rods 2 extend through those two sets of lugs and thus hold the two parts of the shell relatively closed along the plane of separation, while permitting the longitudinal relative shifting movement between the upper part 1a of the shell and the lower part 1b, when desired.

In order to permit easy rotation of the shell for turnbling the articles being dried in the shell, the shell is supported and rolls on two travelling rings 3 and 4, which are slightly larger than the diameter of the shell, in order to permit the longitudinal relative shifting movement previously mentioned. Thus the two travelling rings 3 and 4 are engaged internally and progressively only by the lower part of the shell as the shell is being rotated due to its contact with these two rings 3 and 4.

The travelling rings 3 and 4 rest on, and roll on, two rollers 5 and 6, which are respectively suitably supported on axles between end plate flanges 5a and 6a, respectively, to prevent the rings 3 and 4 from being displaced axially from the rollers 5 and 6. The ring 4 is shown as having a smooth outer surface, disposed for free rolling motion on the smooth surfaced roller 6. Ring 3, however, is provided with a toothed periphery that engages a suitable driving gear 50 to permit the gear 50 to drive the ring 3, and through that ring, the shell halves 1a and 1b of the drum.

An electric motor 7, shown in FIG. 2, drives the gear 5 through a suitable transmission member, such simply as a V-belt. The drum is shown disposed in a housing 9 which is sub-divided into two sections 9b and 90 by an intermediate annular wall 9a.

A ventilator or exhaust fan 10 circulates air through the housing from the upper region of the chamber in the housing 9 down to the lower region. As shown in FIG. 3, the air that is circulated by the fan 10 is passed through a heater 12 in passage.

Two plates 9d and 9e are disposed within the housing 9 and extend along the length of the housing to establish a warm-air receiving chamber to receive the warmed air from the blower 10. The warmed air from that chamber then enters the external perforations It and 1r, for example, on the periphery of the drum, and the resulting air stream through the drum carries the moisture vapor out into the large zone 9b at the top of the housing, from which the moisture-laden air stream is passed out to the atmosphere or to other collecting space through a conduit 9 as controlled by a butterfly valve 9g.

A ventilator 13, shown in FIG. 3, directs a stream of cold air into a small zone 90 at the exit end of the housing, and from there into the final operating halfchambers 1k and 1p for final cooling of the articles, and the air stream in this case then exits through an exit port 911;

In order to achieve automatic shifting of the top half cylinder 1a of the drum drier, a pneumatic cylinder 14b is provided, as shown in FIG. 3, with a piston 14a to be controlled by compressed air from a suitable supply through a suitable four-way valve in a manner Well known, and therefore not herein illustrated. A suitable drum controller and time relay, or control card equipment 1 5 is shown which may be initiated upon actuation of a manual push-button switch 16 in order to bring the rotating drum to standstill, and by means of the limit switches 17 and 20 insure that the drum 1a will stop in proper position with the planar intersection of the drum horizontal. The drum half 1a is at such time on the bottom and may be shifted axially outward on the discharge side, and the drum turned through an angle of 180 degrees.

The limit switches 17 and 20 may take any suitable form, and may utilize magnetic contact operators as well as pressure roller devices for operating the switches. As shown in FIG. 2, those two limit switches 17 and 20 are disposed in positions to detect and indicate a disposition of the drum in the position shown in FIG. 2 with the shift plane horizontal. The two switches 17 and 20 thus serve as safety interlock switches to permit rotation of the drum under certain conditions, and to prevent rotation of the drum under other conditions, according to the cycle of operations to be controlled by the control equipment in the box 15. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the limit switch 17 serves to provide an appropriate signal indication to show that the drum half 1a is properly located in bottom position and shifted to expose the last chamber so that limited rotation under such condition will be permitted to only one half turn or 180 degrees. As shown in FIG. 3, the limit switches 17 and 20, as well as the position indicating cam 1s, are shown at the side of the drum.

When the drum is stopped with drum half 1a on the bottom and then pulled out by piston-operated rod 140, and the drum then given a half turn, compartment 1k is open to the atmosphere and then dried immersion articles can now freely fall out and discharge into any suitable receptacle of an associated conveyor system. At the same time, the immersion articles that were in the other half-chambers 1g, 1h, 1i and 1 respectively, while in bottom position, now fall into the half-chamberslm, In, 10 and 1p, respectively, thus advancing the articles one step towards the discharge end of the drum. At this stage, compartment 11 is exposed and empty, and available to receive a charge of washed or moist articles, for example, a batch of rubber hand gloves.

Upon actuation of hand switch 16 for the next step in the sequence of pre-set operations, the half-drum section 1a is shifted back to closing position, and the appropriate circuitry re-established by the control drum 15 and the limit switches 16, 17, 18 and 19, according to the indicated positions of the drum sections and the piston controlled rod 14c and the cam 14d, to set the drum again in rotation.

Upon repetition of the above sequence of operations, including a running and drying interval, then a drum shifting step with consequent advancement of articles progressively to the next chamber towards the discharge side, the articles are dried while being kept separated in their original batches, and are thus discharged in dried separated batches, in the operation of a single machine. The passage of the articles through zone 9b, with appropriate temperature control of the circulating air, assures drying, and the passage of the articles through zone 9b, with appropriate temperature control of the circulating air, assures drying, and the passage through zone 9c then assures cooling the articles to ambient temperature. More zones could be provided, if desired, to establish suitable temperature gradients, and the controls arranged to vary the drying intervals.

Since no manual handling is needed at this drier, it lends itself to incorporation in an automatic system whose sequence of operations may be pre-set, depending upon the nature and quantity, size and temperature of the articles to be dried.

Further, the elimination of the need for manual handling enables the system and drier to be functioning more regularly and with minimum interruption, to achieve greater output.

The drier drum may therefore be of smaller size than would be necessary for operation with conventional handling procedures.

We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A drum drier comprising a perforated cylindrical drum longitudinally split along an equivalent horizontal, longitudinal axial plane, and having end walls in each half drum semi-circular in shape and arranged substantially to meet and mate along said diametrical horizontal axial plane defining the split of the drum, and said drum halves having axially spaced partition walls within and connected to each of said drum halves, and disposed transversely to subdivide the space in each of said drum halves into separate axially spaced compartments, and partition walls also consisting of substantially semi-circular elements disposed for substantially meeting and mating along said same diametrical axial plane defining said split drum.

2. A drum drier, as in claim 1, including means for separably connecting the end-wall elements of said split drum to hold the respective partitions in mutual mating relation.

3. A drum drier, as in claim 2, in which said connecting means include elements disposed within the limiting outline of the circular sectional contour of said perforated drum, and said connecting means are disposed to serve as sliding guide means to permit the drum halves to be axially displaced relative to each other, to shift normally mating compartments into alignment with next adjoining compartments, to permit selective axial transfer of articles from One compartment to another upon reshifting the compartments for normal mating.

4, A drum drier, as in claim 1, including means for holding said drum halves against radial separation while permitting relative axial shifting to temporarily juxtapose normally oltset compartments.

5. A drum drier, as in claim 1, including means for holding said drum halves in closed mated position;

6. A drum drier, as in claim 3, in which said connecting means include longitudinally spaced lugs on each of said drum halves, and guide rods through said lugs to hold the two drum halves together adjacent the dividing plane, while permitting relative axial shifting of said two halves along said dividing plane.

7. A drum drier, as in claim 5, including means for supporting said drum for rotation, said means 6 including a ring surrounding the drum adjacent back end of said drum, with the drum frictionally seating on the inner surface of each ring.

7 8. A drum drier, as in claim 7, in which said supporting means further include means for driving one of said two rings.

9. A drum drier, as in claim 3, including means for turning the whole dr-um through one-half turn while one-half of the drum is shifted axially to expose one compartment for removal of articles therefrom.

10. A drum drier, as in claim 2, including means for maintaining a hot-air drying environment around an initial drying region of the drum;

and means for subjecting the drum contents to a cooling action beyond the hot-air drying region of the drum.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 143,130 9/1873 Enos 34109 XR 1,279,557 9/1918 Leao 34130 XR 2,041,318 5/1936 Berger 34-108 25 KENNETH W. SPRAGUE, Primary Examiner. 

